The permeability of barrier layers formed from sodium bentonite clay may be significantly and unpredictably impacted upon contacting various ionic substances. Modifying agents may be admixed with sodium bentonite clay to lessen the impacts resulting from its contact with an ionic substance. Suitable modifying agents may comprise an anionic substance selected from the group consisting of a diutan, a polymer containing a 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid monomer, any salt thereof, and any combination thereof. Methods for forming a barrier layer may comprise: providing a barrier material comprising sodium bentonite clay and a modifying agent admixed with the sodium bentonite clay, the modifying agent comprising an anionic substance selected from the group consisting of a diutan, a polymer containing a 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid monomer, any salt thereof, and any combination thereof; and forming a barrier layer comprising the barrier material.

A radon gas removal apparatus configured to provide evacuation of radon gas from a desired area or building. The radon gas removal apparatus includes an exterior housing forming an interior volume. Disposed within said interior volume is a motor assembly and a fan operably coupled. The motor assembly includes an upper portion having a metal housing wherein the upper portion has a cavity proximate the top thereof configured to store a circuit board. The cavity is hermetically sealed utilizing a lid member. A heat sink assembly is proximate the lower edge of the upper portion of the motor assembly. The heat sink assembly includes a central void configured to receive a motor therein. The heat sink includes a first wall and a second wall having a void intermediate configured to a heat sink material. A motor is present within the central void of the heat sink assembly.

A drying pad and a method for constructing a drying pad for a wet waste, of which the method includes adding a polymer additive to a soil to create a polymer-augmented soil, and spreading the polymer-augmented soil over a base soil to create drying pad comprising a polymer-augmented soil layer on top of the base soil. The polymer-augmented soil is configured to have the wet waste deposited thereon so that the wet waste dries on top of the polymer-augmented soil layer without leaching into the base soil and produces a dried waste for transfer to a disposal cell. The method also includes removing the polymer-augmented soil layer from the base soil after the dried waste is transferred to the disposal cell.

A comprehensive dry flood proofing system to mitigate inland flooding risk for existing or new homes and other buildings. The system leverages the home or building's structure to offer practical and affordable inland area flood protection for structures constructed with a slab on grade foundation. The system includes pluggable weep holes, entry door/garage door/window protectors, wall appurtenances and penetration protection, a house wrap and/or debris barrier for wall protection and sewage anti-backflow protection. The system is reusable, easy to deploy, does not detract from the home or building's permanent appearance, allows for ingress/egress during flood events and can protect the home or building from standing water up to 24 above slab elevation. The preparation and installation preflood, the deployment immediately preceding a flooding event and the subsequent removal after a flooding event can be provided by both contractors and homeowners.

A comprehensive dry flood proofing system to mitigate inland flooding risk for existing or new homes and other buildings. The system leverages the home or building's structure to offer practical and affordable inland area flood protection for structures constructed with a slab on grade foundation. The system includes pluggable weep holes, entry door/garage door/window protectors, wall appurtenances and penetration protection, a house wrap and/or debris barrier for wall protection and sewage anti-backflow protection. The system is reusable, easy to deploy, does not detract from the home or building's permanent appearance, allows for ingress/egress during flood events and can protect the home or building from standing water up to 24 above slab elevation. The preparation and installation preflood, the deployment immediately preceding a flooding event and the subsequent removal after a flooding event can be provided by both contractors and homeowners.

An apparatus is provided for forming recesses in a calender roll. The apparatus includes a rotational drive for rotating the calender roll around a rotational axis. The apparatus further includes a knurling wheel with knurling spikes projecting there from. The knurling wheel is rotatable about an axis that is aligned an acute angle to a plane that contains the rotational axis of the calender roll so that the knurling spikes produce a helical array of recesses in the outer surface of the calender roll. The calender roll then can be used to form a landfill liner with projections that are offset from one another to avoid having the projections form grooves and thereby preventing slippage of the landfill liner.

Described herein are systems and methods for forming an improved Drainliner Max with improved load bearing capability in the range of 500-15,000 or 23 to 720 kPA via improved stud placement and improved height/diameter dimensions to provide a much improved product that vastly outperforms existing systems.

Presented is an apparatus for radon and other soil gas mitigation. The apparatus includes an outer sleeve substantially cylindrical in shape and formed using one or multiple modular structures having foldable flaps with openings. The apparatus further includes a lid for closure of a top opening of the outer sleeve. The lid includes pipe flange(s) configured thereon for allowing a suction pipe to connect at its one end. During operation, other end of the suction pipe is operationally connected to operating inline fan which when operated exerts maximum negative pressure on the surrounding soil to entrain various soil gases that needs to be drawn out of the soil gas prone site (Eg. building).

Insulation screw adapted to be inserted by a mounting device into insulation material, where the insulation screw comprises a body provided with at least one thread, where the tip of the body is pointed, where the outer diameter of the head is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the body and where the lead pitch of the thread is at least 30 millimetres. An insulation screw can be driven completely through a central opening since the insulation screw does not have a protruding head. The insulation screw is provided with a thread and the opening of a mounting device is provided with a corresponding threaded portion, such that the insulation screw is screwed into the insulation material by a non-rotating pushing force.

A liquid capture tray and conservation system for capturing agricultural liquids which would otherwise be wasted and could contaminate groundwater. The liquid capture tray has a tray body and a reservoir matrix across the tray body. The reservoir matrix has a plurality of adjacent interconnected concave liquid capture cups, each with a sidewall and bottom wall defining an upwardly disposed reservoir. The tray is positioned below the root zone of a plant growing area to capture liquids that pass through the root zone into the reservoirs of the cups. Apertures in the tray body allow excess liquids to drain from the tray. A connecting mechanism can be utilized to connect two trays together. Cut-outs in the sidewalls of the cups allow liquid to move from one cup to another to disperse liquid across the reservoir matrix. The system includes a growing area, root zone, liquid and liquid capture tray.